Circle of Friends
by zagogay
Summary: It was all in slow motion, really, as Natsume walked over and placed his jacket over my shoulders, while Luna stood gaping at him, clutching the handle of the umbrella. Why in the world was he giving me his jacket when his girlfriend was right beside me?
1. Chapter 1

**Circle of Friends**

**zagogay**

**Day of publication:**_October 29, 2009  
_**Edited:** _November 5, 2011 (Lol happy Guy Folks')  
(New Zealand time)_

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"Natsume…"

"Mikan, don't. Please, don't."

I sighed. "Natsume, you knew it'll lead up to this, someday."

"But we can get through this. We can just ignore her, dammit! Ignore _them_!" he reasoned.

"Her – we can ignore. Them – we can't."

"Yes!" he countered. "Yes, we can!"

"Oh don't you go 'Obama'-ing me!" I snapped. "They're your friends. We _can't_ ignore them."

"I will! I don't care about them!"

"Natsume," I paused. "We both know you're lying. You _do_ care about them. You care about their opinions."

He was silent.

"See?" I said. "Natsume, we need to do this."

"God, Mikan! Do you really hate me that much?"

"Yeah!" I lied. "I hate you. It sickens me to see your face. That's why we have to do this. God, I've wanted to do this for a long time."

"You don't mean that…" he said, looking taken aback.

_I didn't._

"Yeah. I do mean it. I hate you."

"No, you don't."

"Yes! I do!"

His face tightened. What have I done? He was hurt.

I looked away, blinking away tears.

_'Just say it, Natsume. Say it!'_

"Let's break up."

I gasped. That being said was not the thing that surprised me, but the fact that it came from my own mouth, did.

"What?"

I cried. "Natsume…"

"You don't mean that."

"I don't hate you." I cried. "I _don't_."

"I know."

"But Natsume, we _have_ to break up."

"No, we don't."

"Yes, Natsume. God, I can't take it anymore! They're too much! They hate me. They do!"

"But we can get through them!" he shouted.

"Stop it!" I snapped. "You're only making it harder for the both of us!"

"But you're being unfair." He said.

I looked away.

He grabbed my hand. "Mikan," he said, bringing my hand up to his chest, positioning it over his heart. "I love you."

"I know."

"Then why are you doing this?"

"Because of your friends, Natsume!"

"I can leave them." He said.

I cried harder. It seems like tears are something that I can't run out of. "No, you can't." I wiggled my hand free. "Goodbye, Natsume." I turned around and walked away. I haven't even taken two steps yet when strong arms enveloped me.

"Don't go," he whispered.

"Natsume!" I struggled. "Let me go."

"No." he buried his face on my neck. "Don't leave me." He said, his voice muffled.

Tears trickled down my cheeks. "I'm sorry."

"Don't." he said. "Please."

"Just let me go!" I screamed. I managed to escape him. No matter how tight his arms embraced me, I escaped him. And once I did, I ran. I didn't want to see him – I didn't want to look at his face. I didn't want to see him heartbroken, mirroring the expression that is currently plastered on my face. But it had to be done. We were a couple, but his friends couldn't accept that. They despised the idea. They kept on pushing this girl named Luna to him. They liked her more than me. And every chance they got, they would pair them up together. They even got Natsume to dance with her at the Last Dance. Not me.

I wiped away my tears as I ran, wanting to forget about him; about the reason why I broke up with him. I just continued running, not even knowing where to go, oblivious of my surroundings. But I kept on running – feeling the breeze on my face, feeling my feet run faster and faster.

"Natsume…" I whispered. "I'm sorry."

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_**Beep beep beep beep.**_

I smacked my alarm clock as I stretched my arms. Another day in the academy. Though I can't say it's any other day. I think it's fairly obvious now that this is no ordinary day. Once I step on school grounds, I have to deal with people asking what happened, demanding the full story on the latest gossip. I have to deal with fan-girls saying hurtful things to my face, saying that it was about time that Natsume dumped me – that it took him long enough to get sick of me.

I turned off my phone yesterday, not wanting to be disturbed. I knew that for sure, I will receive a lot of messages from individuals whom I didn't even know _or_ recognize.

I turned on my phone.

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_91 New Messages._

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_Delete marked messages?_

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_Deleting messages._

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_90 messages deleted._

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_1 new message.  
__Open__· Back · Delete_

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_From: Natsume Hyuuga  
To: Mikan Sakura  
Body: Can we talk?_

_Reply ·__Back_

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I sighed. 91 messages? Really? Gossip spreads that fast? Heck!

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**Natsume Hyuuga**  
Answer _·_Decline

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I walked along the corridors of the school, on my way to my homeroom class. I have successfully fooled all the girls and guys to thinking that I went to the toilets, therefore, all those who wished to bother me about the break-up, are either inside or outside the said toilet, hoping to get a chance on having a conversation with me.

Everyone scrambled to their seats as I walked in the class. Silence took over the place. A couple of people cleared their throats, while another coughed. I awkwardly walked to a seat, choosing one that's far from Natsume – who'd been painfully staring at me ever since I stepped into the class, just like everyone else in the room. I sat down and took out my books.

It was silent all over again. That was until I found Natsume standing in front of my desk, with his hands in his pockets, acting all cool and collected, so different from his image yesterday, when he nearly broke down as he begged me to stay with him.

"Let's talk." He said.

"No." I said.

A number of people gasped.

"Let's _talk_." He glared.

"No!"

"Polka!" he hissed.

"No!"

"Dammit!" he cursed as he grabbed my arm. He dragged me out of the class and to the Sakura tree, where he roughly pinned me against it.

"Let go of me!" I demanded.

"Not until you get back together with me."

"Natsume!"

"If you don't, they'll push the bitch to me."

"And '_they_' are exactly why we broke up!" I shouted.

He hugged me. "Please." He said.

I closed my eyes, blinking away the tears that I knew would come. "Fine." I said.

He held me at arm's length. "Really?"

"No." I pushed him and ran.

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**Sumire Shouda**to**Mikan Sakura:** It's official! Your ex and Luna-the-bitch are together!  
4 hours ago · Comment · Like · See Wall-to-Wall

**Mikan Sakura** I knew this would happen. I told you a million times already.  
4 hours ago

**Aoi Hyuuga** Sorry, Mikan-nee, about my brother. He's an ass.  
4 hours ago

**Sumire Shouda** Damn right, Aoi!  
4 hours ago

**Mikan Sakura** Hey, don't be mean. :(  
4 hours ago

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**Natsume Hyuuga** changed his relationship status from 'in a relationship' to 'single'.  
3 hours ago · Comment · Like

**Sumire Shouda** I thought you and Luna-the-Bitch are together?  
3 hours ago

**Luna Koizumi**SUMIRE!  
3 hours ago

**Sumire Shouda** Oh crap.  
3 hours ago

**Koko TheMan** Hahahaha busted!  
3 hours ago

**Natsume Hyuuga** Shut your mouths, all of you. It's none of your business. Leave me alone!  
3 hours ago

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_Until next chapter..._


	2. Chapter 2

**Circle of Friends  
**Chapter II

**zagogay**

**Date of publication:**November 8, 2009  
**Edited:** November 5, 2011  
_(New Zealand time)_

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**Dedication**

**To** Jenny Chung, who's always the first one to read my stories when I bring the draft to school. She never gets tired reading them, either. Such a bookworm. Pfft.

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How can she do this to me? After one and a half years of standing my friends' hatred towards her, she just gives up? Just like that? Without even a thought tossed towards my feelings? She knows that I wouldn't be able to leave my friends. They're my _friends_! They complete me. They're the first ones I run to when a problem surfaces. They're the ones who are always there when I need them the most. Of course I can't leave them. She knows that.

And is that why she broke up with me in the first place? Fully knowing that I wouldn't be able to come up with a good enough excuse to get her back? Did she just want to be free from this relationship? Using my friends as a stupid excuse?

I cursed myself. What did I do wrong? I tried giving her everything she wanted. I tried being there when she needed me. I tried being the perfect boyfriend that every girl dreamed of. Were they not enough? Did she want more? Did she want me to cry tears of blood, before she comes back to me?

I'm close to giving up, I really am. I've tried everything in my power just to talk to her again. I've tried texting her; calling her; emailing her… But none would work. She deleted me in Facebook. She blocked me in messenger, and she won't reply to my emails. I don't know what she's thinking. The Mikan that I knew wouldn't be like this. She would be sweet, tender, kind and understanding. This Mikan that I'm trying to call right now isn't the Mikan that I know. I'd kill just to know what she's thinking. Any man would do anything just know what a girl's thinking even just for a day. I'm one of them.

"Damn." I cursed. I hit the 'end call' button just as Mikan's voicemail started playing. I stood up and paced around the room, frowning often enough to be sure to have wrinkles come 45 years old. Suddenly, my phone rang. I quickly picked it up, hoping that Mikan would be on the other line.

"Polka?" I said.

Silence.

"Polka?" I repeated.

"_No."_A sigh was heard._"Natsume, it's me. Ruka."_

"Ruka?" I asked quizzically, racking through my brain, trying to remember if I know any Ruka at all. "Oh! Ruka!"

"_Don't tell me you forgot who I am?"_

I sighed. "Sorry. I've got a lot of things in mind."

"_Yeah. I heard."_ He paused._"Listen. Me and the gang will hang out in the club tonight. You wanna come?"_

"Let me guess: Luna's tagging along?"

"_As always."_

"Then I'm not coming." I rolled my eyes.

"_Dude! She's your girlfriend."_

"By force, Ruka. _Force_."

"_She's _still_ your girlfriend, forced or otherwise."_

"I'm _not_ coming." I sternly said.

"_What if I tell you that I'll make a way for Sakura to come? I can persuade her for you."_

I skipped a heartbeat. "What?" I said, barely above a whisper.

"_I'll get her to come for you. I promise. As long as you come. Oh! And also, you have to cooperate with a few rules of mine."_

I was silent for a while; deep in thought, thinking of whether it's a good idea to have my 'girlfriend' and ex-girlfriend in the same premises.

I sighed. "I'm listening."

"_Alright. Rule one: Do not hassle Sakura. If she doesn't want to talk to you, don't push it. I don't want this night ruined because of you guys."_

"Fine." I said.

"_Whoa! Fine? You agreed! Wow. This is turning out better than I've imagined."_

I massaged my temples. "Just hurry up, Ruka."

"_Alright! Take a chill pill. Rule two: You are to act as Luna's boyfriend no matter what she does. No matter how much you hate her. Just be her boyfriend –"_

"No. _No way_."

"_Then it's a no-deal, Natsume."_Ruka said. _"I won't get Mikan to come. Which is most likely the only way to get her to talk to you."_

But in exchange to be Luna's boyfriend? I mean, sure, I _am_ her boyfriend, but that's because Niko pushed on the idea. The guy just won't stop nagging. Day and night – he would _not_ stop. But I figured that if I do agree to become Luna's boyfriend, it didn't mean I have to act out the part. But now Ruka's asking me to do the exact thing I thought I wouldn't have to do.

"You're killing me here, Ruka. Literally."

"_I know."_

I squinted my eyes. "Did Niko put you up for this?"

I waited for a moment before I got a reply._"For the most part."_

"For the most part?" I narrowed my eyes.

"..._It was kinda my idea, too."_

"Why?"

"_Because I want you to hang out with us. It's been a while, Natsume. You're my best friend. What kind of best friends are we if we hardly hung out? Besides, if I hadn't made that offer about Sakura, do you think you would've considered coming?"_he asked.

I thought about it. "No."

"_Exactly. So what's it gonna be? Coming or not?"_

I'm being torn between pride and Mikan. If I choose Mikan, then I have to act out as Luna's boyfriend. But if I choose pride… I won't be able to talk to Mikan. Possibly ever. I sighed. "Where do we meet?"

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I stood leaning against a wall outside the cinema, a hand in my pocket, and the other holding my phone, expecting a call from Ruka or any of the gang. They said to meet here, outside of the cinema, and yet, none of them has shown up. And _I_ thought I was late.

I sighed. "What the hell..."

_**Ring ring ring.**_

I looked at my phone.

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**Ruka Nogi**

Answer Decline

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"_Natsume!"_

"Ruka, where the hell are you?"

"_Oh. Uhh…"_

"'Uhh', what?"

"_We're at the cinemas."_

"_I'm_ at the cinemas."

"_Well, we're at a different cinema."_

"What the hell?"

"_We're at a different cinema."_he paused._"Turns out, I gave out the wrong information to you."_

"What?"

"_Wait. Hold on."_

There were some ruffling and shuffling over the other line. I could vaguely hear Ruka talk to someone, whose voice resembled Niko's a heck of a whole lot.

"_Tell him… send her… get him… come here…"_

Those were the bits and snippets that I heard. Ruka was skillfully covering his phone's microphone, therefore making my attempts to eavesdrop hopeless.

"_Yeah, hey, Natsume."_

I grunted.

"_Luna's gonna pick you up, ok –"_

"What the hell, Ruka?"

"_Sorry. It's not our fault you're at a different place."_

"It kinda is."

"_Well…"_he paused._"Whatever. She's gonna pick you –"_

"No. Hell no! I will not go with that bitch. I will not arrive there with the bitch in tow."

"_Natsume…" Ruka paused. "Remember the deal?"_

I sighed. Oh yes. The deal. Of course – the deal. The deal that I had to think twice over. The deal that would either hurt Mikan, or do the opposite – make her happy and relieved that I've finally let go of her. But she should know better. I can never let go of her. Never. She's Mikan. I'm Romeo and she's my Juliet. She's my Juliet. She's my –

"_Natsume!"_

I snapped out of my trance. "Yeah?"

"_Do you remember the deal?"_

"Oh. Yeah. I do."

"_Well, then, I got Sakura to come. Now it's your turn to do your part. Act as Luna's boyfriend."_

I paused. "Why are you doing this, Ruka?"

"_Just do it, Natsume."_

"Answer my question."

"_Do it!"_

"Answer my question."

"_Natsume!"_

"Fine!"

"_Done deal. She'll pick you up. Bye."_

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He hung up without even letting me say goodbye, perhaps afraid that I would ask something that he'd been hiding for quite some time. I've been suspecting Ruka for a long while now. Ever since she came into our group; ever since I made it official that we were going out. Ruka seemed to be nice to her, unlike my other friends, who despised the idea of her suddenly interrupting our circle of friends – suddenly showing up as my girlfriend. They didn't like her. Except Ruka. When everyone closed up the circle when sitting down, it was always Ruka who would open it up even for a little bit to make her fit in. Just to make her feel accepted.

I had been suspecting Ruka of liking her; of liking my ex; of liking my Juliet; of liking Mikan. And he probably jumped at the idea when Niko brought up the subject of pairing me off with Luna - jumped at the chance to finally hit it off with Mikan, to finally have her all to himself; to finally get rid of me.

I might be wrong. That thought never escaped me. But there's also this nagging feeling that Ruka can somehow get Mikan all to himself. Ruka's what a girl will ever want. The complete opposite of me, really. Ruka's my best friend, but I doubt him. I doubt his honesty. I know that I should trust him, but I just can't. There's a possibility that he might take Mikan away from me – I can't let that happen. Not now; not ever. I had to make Mikan mine again. I have to make her understand how much I care for her. How much I'd give to just have her back. I'd do anything, to say the least.

Even if it meant acting as Luna's boyfriend.

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"Natsume!"

I looked up and found myself staring at two green orbs. I sighed. The bitch has arrived.

"Natsume, let's go." She squealed as she wrapped her arms around me.

"Get off me." I sternly said.

"What?"

"Let go."

"But you're my boyfriend!"

"I will count to three."

"Natsume!"

"One…"

"What the hell!"

"Two…"

"You can't do this to me!"

"Three."

"Fine!" She huffed as she withdrew her arms. "Nii-san said that you're supposed to be my boyfriend, so _act like it_."

"You're only supposed to bring me to whatever cinema they decided to switch to, Koizumi."

She crossed her arms. "_And_ act as my boyfriend."

I looked away. "Whatever."

She wrapped her arms around mine. "I'll tell nii-san you didn't cooperate if you don't act as my boyfriend. You know what will happen then? Bye bye, Mikan."

I swear to God, I will lose my cool soon. This bitch is pushing me to the edge. But I have to endure it. For _her_ sake, I have to endure it. I have to go through this if I want to make things better between her and me. But will showing up as Luna's boyfriend really patch things up between us? But, if I don't act as her boyfriend, then I won't be able to talk to Mikan. This is my only chance to get her back. And besides, it's too late to back-out. Luna's already got me walking, with her arm wrapped around mine. She's got me walking through the exit, and unto the road.

Dear God, everyone from school will see me walking with the bitch. They will _really_ think that I've replaced Mikan with Luna now. I haven't – they should know that.

"Won't you rather we drive there?" I asked nonchalantly.

She looked up at me. "No."

"Why?"

"Because," she paused. "This way, everyone will know you're mine."

_Bitch._

"I'm _not_ yours." I said through gritted teeth.

"Keep telling yourself that, _Natsu_."

I snapped. "Don't you _dare_ call me that." I shouted, grabbing her arms and flinging it away.

"Why? _Mikan_ calls you that."

"And _she's_ the only one who can."

"But that's not fair. She's your ex; _I'm_ your girlfriend."

I closed my eyes, not wanting to even see her face. "Don't you get it, woman?"

"Get what?"

I opened my eyes and glared at her. "I'll _never_ be yours! Even if I do act like I'm yours, it's because _Niko_ asked me to!" I pushed past her and started walking away, trying to ignore our newly-found audience's agonizing stare. I managed to walk a few meters, before she called out my name.

"Natsume!" she shouted. "Natsume, wait!" She grabbed my arms and turned me around. "Fine."

I blinked, not understanding what she was saying.

"Fine."

"What?" I frowned.

"I don't care if you'll never be mine emotionally. I don't care. Just, be mine physically. You're my boyfriend. _Act like it!_" she cried. "I love you, Natsume. I don't care if you don't feel the same way for now. Just, please," she begged. "_Try_."

At that moment – at that special moment – I felt pity for her. I felt a tinge of pity for her. A pity that I never knew would come. A pity that I never knew I even had. I grabbed her arm. "Let's go."

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_Until next chapter…_


	3. Chapter 3

**Circle of Friends**_**(CoF)**_  
Chapter III

**zagogay**

**Date of publication:** November 21, 2009  
**Edited:** November 5, 2011  
_(New Zealand time)_

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As soon as he walked through those double doors, with his arm wrapped around Luna's shoulders, I felt my heart cease to beat life into me.

"Natsume, ma man!" Tsukui, who had known Natsume since toddler, greeted him with a pat on the back. As far as my knowledge would bring me, Tsukui left Japan to study in America when he was 10. He came back 2 years ago, when he was 14.

I grimaced. Natsume didn't even acknowledge Tsukui's presence. He didn't acknowledge anyone's presence at all, actually. When he walked through those doors, his attention was focused on me, and _only_ me. His crimson eyes were set on my face, and it looked like he wasn't planning on looking at anything else.

Luna scowled at me. "Natsume," she said, snaking her arms around his body, as if she and _only_ she possessed him. "Let's go get our tickets."

For the first time since they came, Natsume tore his gaze away from me to look at his companion. He gave her a slight nod as they walked to the counter together. I bit my trembling lip. I thought that I would want this. I thought that that was what I wanted – for Natsume to get over me and leave me alone. I thought that if we were finally over, the misery that I've been trying to stand since I became his girlfriend would be over.

Ruka called me and begged me to come, and said that if Natsume saw me there, and if I stood strong, then maybe Natsume would accept the fact that I was gone from him forever.

Ruka told me that Natsume was going with Luna. So when they walked through those doors, I wasn't surprised to see them together. But the fact that Natsume's arm was draped around her shoulders struck me real deep in my heart. But I had to stand strong, so he'd know that there's no way he'd get me back. Plus, he's with _her_ now. They're together. There's no way that Natsume would want me back now. He's moved on – just like how I was supposed to like. He's with somebody else – just like how I was supposed to like. So why, then, am I not liking this at all?

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Mayo and Miyu; twins who'd known Natsume since junior high. They were lovely girls, really, as long as you're on their good side. But you see, I was never on their good side. Never. I _would _have been, had Luna not been spreading rumours about me – false rumours, as you would've guessed. Mayo and Miyu could've been my friends; been on my side, but fate didn't want that to happen. Fate wanted me to suffer – wanted me to end up broken-hearted and miserable.

Was this fate's job? To give one hope and mercilessly crash it, without any second thoughts? Had I known this was coming, I wouldn't have committed my love for Natsume. I wouldn't have entered that relationship, had I _known_ this was coming. But I _didn't_ know, and this is the consequence – heartbroken, trying to keep it in, trying to not let others know how I felt, trying to push them away, not wanting them to know my status, not wanting them to pity me. I'm an independent girl. I can manage myself. I can support myself without others having to assist me. I'd made that pretty clear to my friends already. Though they wouldn't really listen.

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_What am I doing here?_

That question ran around in circles in my head. Why did I agree to come here? Why couldn't I show Natsume that we're really over, some other time?

Niko, Tsukui, Luna and the twins walked in front of me, purposely leaving me out of the group. Ruka and Natsume walked a little slower, to be behind with me. Both of them walked on either side of me, feeling rather awkward.

"Sakura," Ruka said, nudging me a bit. I looked at him. "How'd you like the movie?"

I bit my lower lip. "It was okay."

"Don't you like action films?" Ruka asked.

"She likes chick flicks." Natsume answered, walking closer to me. "She hates action movies. She thinks they're gore. She hates blood; she can never be a doctor when she grows up. She jumps at the sound of gun, but would gladly take a bullet if it means she can save a friend's life. It's pretty stupid if you ask me." he snorted.

I forced a smile on my face and looked down.

"Gee, Natsume," Ruka said. "You could write a whole biography of Sakura."

Natsume looked away. "I could, if I wanted."

It was getting awkward. The atmosphere was awkward. I didn't like it. It gave me the goosebumps. It seemed like there was a silent war going on between Natsume and Ruka that I didn't know about. It was Ruka I was more worried about, not Natsume. Ruka wasn't someone who would pick a fight with anyone. Ruka was gentle; Ruka was nice. He was the only one that I particularly liked in that gang. He was always the one that made me feel welcome, when all the others had treated me like dirt. He was the one that always noticed me in the background when all the others tried to make me feel insignificant. How I wish I'd met him first. How I wish it was him who had asked me out.

I knew Ruka had feelings for me. I knew he'd wanted to ask me out ever since Natsume and I broke up, but he was too nice. He didn't want to hurt Natsume by going out with me. The break-up was still fresh. Going out with me would ruin their years and years of friendship, and in addition to that – Natsume would kill him. But I didn't have feelings for Ruka. If I had met him first, _maybe _it would be him who I went out with. But given the situation, it was Natsume who first saw and had interest in me. It was Natsume who made me fall in love with him. It was Natsume who had captured my heart.

_Not Ruka._

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Luna squealed. "How about this? Does this look good on me?"

Mayo and Miyu squealed in unison, "Definitely!"

Luna turned to me. "How about you, Mikan-chan? Do you like it?" she asked, twirling around, practically rubbing it in my face that her hips are more curved than mine; that she's prettier than me; that she's taller; that she had Natsume as her boyfriend.

I forced a smile on my lips. "Sure. It looks pretty."

She smirked. "I thought so." She twirled once again before skipping over to the changing stall, trying on another dress that the twins have picked out for her.

I looked around me, looking at the beautiful dresses that dangled on the clothing racks. They were expensive – that's for sure. They were signature dresses. Some of them were shipped from America from famous designers. That shop was for rich people. I wasn't a rich kid. I was average. My family's fortune leaned against the poorer side, actually. My dad was buried in debt. My mom was trying to get us out of that small house by working 24/7. I hardly see her at all. And me? I was helping the family with all that I can. I had three jobs, and I was trying to not miss a roster in any of them. It was hard.

I stood up and walked to a clothing rack, having seen a beautiful dress among its clothes. I looked at the price. 20,000 yen? I shook my head. I couldn't afford that... Stupid me. What made me think that I could afford anything in that store anyway? I barely had 5,000 yen in my pocket. 20,000 yen was too much.

"You wanna buy that?"

Upon hearing Ruka's voice, I looked beside me. "Yeah," I said. "But I don't have enough money."

"I'll buy it for you." He said.

"No, no!" I paused. "Really. No."

"It's okay, Sakura. I have enough money."

"I know you do. But I just… don't want you to. I don't want to owe you anymore. I already owe you so much." I looked away.

He bit his lip. "But you don't have to owe me for this one."

I sighed. "Ruka-pyon," I paused. "Just don't be kind to me anymore." Without waiting for his reaction, I turned around and walked away.

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The clouds were rather dark that afternoon. It took us one and a half hours in that store, because Luna had to try on so many dresses that if it was me, my credit card bill would've rocketed up.

She bought 13 expensive dresses, not to mention the bags she thought were necessary to buy with them. Her brother Niko had to carry them all, since Natsume refused to lay a single finger to any of those bags.

"Is it going to rain?" asked Miyu, her head shot upwards.

"I don't know," Mayo shrugged. "Maybe. The clouds are dark."

I felt a trickle of water land on my face.

I heard Luna scream. "It's raining!"

I saw her pull out an umbrella, open it and place it over her head. Me, on the other hand, had no protection whatsoever.

Luna rolled her eyes. "_Fine_! Mikan! Come here and share the umbrella with me."

I gingerly walked over to her and went under the umbrella. The rain was a downpour. It was cold. I was shivering, and I believe Luna was, too. We were side by side, and for once, the atmosphere between us weren't cold anymore - oh, the irony. We were actually civil to each other. No one's rubbing anything in anyone's face. It was as if she was actually my friend.

Well, that was until Natsume had to ruin it all.

It was all slow motion to me, really, as Natsume walked over to me and placed his jacket over my shoulder, while Luna stood gaping at him, clutching the handle of the umbrella. Why in the world was he giving me his jacket when his girlfriend was right beside me? Shouldn't he have given it to her and not to me? Why was Natsume being like that? I thought that he'd finally gotten over me.

I quickly took off the jacket that Natsume placed over my shoulder, and gave it to Luna. "I'm sorry," I whispered. As soon as Luna took the jacket, I turned around and ran. I ran, not knowing where to go. I wanted to get out of there. I was embarrassed. I was shocked. I was angry. I was angry at Natsume for doing something like that – in front of his girlfriend, too!

How inconsiderate is he? I wouldn't be surprised if Luna ignored me for the rest of my life. I deserved it.

Suddenly, I felt arms wrapped around me, which stopped me dead in my tracks.

"I'm sorry," I heard him whisper.

"Natsume…"

"I'm sorry." He repeated. "I love you."

I bit my lips. "Natsume," I paused. "Natsume… we're done."

He grabbed my arms and twirled me around. "No, we're not."

"Natsume, we're done talking about this!" I shouted.

"I love you!"

"I _don't_ love you!"

"Yes, you do!"

I cried. "Stop this."

"Never."

"Natsume –"

"Marry me."

"What?"

"Marry me! That way, they have no choice but to accept you into the group." He reasoned.

My eyes widened. How could he ask me such a question? Marry him? We're only 16 for goodness sake. No one gets married at the age of 16 in this lifetime! How could he even _consider_ it?

"No!" I screamed. "Natsume, what the hell are you thinking?"

"Mikan," he said. "Please, marry me. Marry me!"

"No!"

I wasn't sure since it was raining, but was that a teardrop that trickled down his cheeks?

•

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_Until next chapter…_


	4. Chapter 4

**Circle of Friends**_**(CoF)**_  
Chapter IV

**zagogay**

**Date of publication:** December 26, 2009  
**Edited:** November 5, 2011  
_(New Zealand time)_

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**Dedication**

**To**Shinigami's Lullaby because I keep on making her wait for my part on our collaboration. I feel very bad. So this if for you, my friend.

•

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•

A marriage proposal. That's what I get for finally talking to him after weeks of ignoring the bastard. I still can't believe it, even as I sit with my friends in the cafeteria – them having a go at mocking his proposal.

"Such a shame he didn't propose with a ring," Permy said, shaking her head.

"Don't worry, my love," Koko winked at her. "I'll be sure to be on my knees with a ring ready when I propose to you."

Permy looked at him disgustingly. "Get away from me."

Koko held up a finger as if to make a point. "Ah, but be careful what goes through your mind. I can hear it." He winked.

Permy looked at me. "Mikan!" She whined, grabbing my sleeves. "When are you gonna give me one of your Alice Stones? I can't bear to have a boyfriend who can read my mind twenty-four seven!"

I laughed. "Permy, trust is the key to a good relationship, so as long as you trust Koko-kun to not read your mind, then you're okay."

"But Mikan-chan! I can't control whose mind I hear." Koko said.

I grimaced. "Not helping, Koko-kun."

Permy crossed her arms.

Then, all of a sudden, Koko started laughing. We all looked at him; intrigued.

"Sorry," He said, wiping the tears that gathered in his eyes. "She was just thinking of something and it was just too funny."

Kitsuneme beamed. "Do tell, do tell!"

"No!" Permy alarmingly shouted.

"It's just about –"

"No!" Permy covered Koko's mouth with her palm as Koko struggled to say the sentence.

"Hey!" he managed to squeak out.

I laughed. "Come on, Permy. Don't be like that."

She stood up and dragged Koko away with her, with Kitsuneme not far behind. The three sprinted away, a look of annoyance on Permy's face.

"Now it's making me wonder what she was thinking." I pouted. I rested my head on the table and sighed. "It's prom soon."

Hotaru, my best friend, nodded. "Who are you going to take?" she asked.

I pursed my lips together. "Not Natsume – that's for sure."

"I don't know what you see in the guy in the first place," she said, her calm façade not changing.

I sighed. "You won't understand."

"Of course I won't. Hyuuga disgusts me."

"Hotaru!" I frowned. "That's not nice."

"You were the one that always tells me to stop lying and speak the truth. Now that I'm speaking the truth, you get mad at me."

I laughed. "I love you, Hotaru."

The slightest of smiles came upon her face. "I know."

•

•

•

I was walking down the hall when Ruka stopped me on my tracks. I backed up to a locker. With my back now resting on it, he placed both his arms on either side of my head and neared his face to mine.

"Hi, Sakura." He said. I could feel his warm breath on my cheeks.

"Hey, Ruka-pyon." I managed to say.

He smiled. "I just want to ask you something."

"What…" I gulped. "What is it?"

He looked away, without taking his arms away from either side of my head. "It's prom soon."

"Yeah." I nodded.

He looked back at me. "Wanna go together?"

I guess it would be a lie if I said that I wasn't expecting this. Because I was, and I've thought about what I would reply, too.

You see, I've been looking forward to going to the prom all my life. Ever since I was in my mother's womb, I'd imagine. I've always seen on TV that it is such a great occasion to attend to. A couple of years ago, Misaki-senpai and Tsubasa-senpai went on their prom. They said that it was fun and that they had a wonderful time, so that only increased my desire to attend one of my own.

I've always thought that Natsume would be my partner, but given the recent events, I guess he won't be. And turning down Ruka is just crazy-talk. So, my answer?

"Sure." I smiled. "Let's go together."

A glint of happiness passed through his eyes. "Great." he said. "What's the color of your dress? I have to match it to the corsage I have to buy."

I didn't get to answer, as a loud bang was made only inches from my face. Naturally, I looked to my right to see what happened. There stood Natsume, his bangs covering his face, with his fist connected to an unfortunate locker.

"Move," He ruggedly said. "You're leaning on my locker."

"Natsume," I whispered.

"Move!" he shouted.

I was startled. Natsume has never spoken to me that way before.

Ruka took a step towards him. "Come on, man. Don't be like this."

It was all a blur. Everything happened so fast that I still can't be sure that what I saw was right. Natsume had grabbed Ruka's collar and had punched him flat across his face.

I screamed. "Natsume! What are you doing?"

Ruka staggered back, but did not fall. He wiped the blood that was oozing out of his nose with the back of his hand and looked at his best friend.

"Bastard." He breathed. He then ruggedly walked up to Natsume and swung his fist. Natsume caught his wrist with ease and kicked Ruka's stomach with his knee. Ruka was sent flying across the hall – our newly found audience giving him way.

"Natsume!" I shrieked. "God! What's wrong with you?" I ran to Ruka – who was lying on the floor, nearly unconscious – and held his hand. "Are you okay?" I asked. I slapped my forehead. "How can I even ask that? Of course you're not okay. You're bleeding for goodness' sakes."

Ruka chuckled. He lifted his hands up and caressed my cheeks. "Are _you_ okay?"

"That's silly," I smiled, leaning on to his palm as he gently rubbed my cheek. "Of course I'm okay."

He smiled. "Good."

"I'll help you to the nurse's clinic." I said. He draped his arms around my shoulders and I helped him stand. "I'm sorry," I told him as I helped him walk his way to the clinic. "I don't know what came over Natsume."

Ruka chuckled. "I do."

I bit my lower lip.

"He's jealous." he said.

I looked away. "Yeah, I know."

"And yet you agreed to go to the prom with me."

"He doesn't have the right to be jealous!" I countered. "We're over."

"He still has feelings for you."

"I know."

He sighed. "Do _you_ still have feelings for him?"

"Yeah," I answered. "_Hatred_."

"Sakura," he said as he gently bumped his temple to mine. "Don't hate Natsume."

"God, Ruka! Would it kill you to not be nice for a minute?"

"Hey!" he laughed. "You actually said my name without the 'pyon'."

I looked at him. "Yeah," I smiled. "I guess I did."

•

•

•

"Nogi Ruka,"

Silence.

"So, Ruka's away today?" Narumi-sensei asked the class. Every head nodded. Narumi-sensei went back to the piece of paper he was holding to scribble down an absent note for Ruka. When done, he gently placed the paper on his desk and rubbed his palms together excitedly. "Turn to your partner."

I reluctantly faced Natsume. Curse it. Why was Ruka not here? But then again, if he _was_ here, I'd kick him back to his dorm because he wasn't well yet. His face was still swollen. So either way, I'd end up like this: face to face with Natsume.

"Tell your partner what you're going to do this weekend." Narumi-sensei said.

While the rest of the class did what he told them to do, I remained silent. I averted Natsume's gaze as much as I can. I didn't want to look into those crimson orbs. They would suck me in, resulting on me not being able to look away. No, I didn't want that to happen. I was angry at Natsume. I should act like I was.

"I'm gonna stay at home," he suddenly said, disrupting the awkward silence between us. "You?"

I slowly looked at him – not his eyes, but rather, his nose; his thin lips; his short eyebrows; his forehead; his pierced ears; anywhere but his eyes.

"I'm gonna tend to Ruka's injuries." I simply said.

I saw his lips twitch. "Really?"

I didn't know if that was meant to be a question, but I answered it nonetheless. "Yeah,"

"You're going to be in his dorm room all weekend?" he raised his eyebrows.

"Yeah." I muttered.

"So he's gonna have the pleasure of having you all to himself all weekend, huh?"

"Why are you saying these things?" I asked, finally looking at his crimson eyes. I skipped a heartbeat. It was like a blackhole, only this time, it was red.

"Don't." Natsume glared.

I widened my eyes. "Don't, what?"

"Don't go to him this weekend." He said.

I gaped. "The nerve of you!" I snapped. "You went and punched him, and now you're telling me not to tend his wounds?"

He looked away.

"You really _are_ a bastard. I can't believe you have any relation to sweet, innocent Aoi-chan at all!"

He whipped his head around to face me. "_Don't_ bring Aoi into this." he said in a threatening voice.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "You know, I feel sorry for her. Living under the same roof as you. It's pitiful."

He slammed his hand on the table.

I jumped. It was a rather loud noise, mind you. I was startled.

"Dammit, woman!" he shouted. Everyone in the class looked at us, sniggering and whispering. "Can't you say one nice thing about me?" he snapped.

Instead of being scared, I stood up and looked down on him. "No, because you know what? You _disgust_ me." I turned around to walk away, but his hand caught my wrist. I quickly turned to look at him. "I hope you're _happy_," I hissed. "You've lost your best friend, and now you just lost a friend." I flicked his hand away and ran, not noticing Narumi-sensei's speechless state.

•

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•

_Until next chapter…_


	5. Chapter 5

**Circle of Friends**  
Chapter V

**zagogay**

**Day of publication:**January 9, 2010  
**Edited:** November 5, 2011  
_(New Zealand time)_

•

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**Author's quickie note**

For the girls' dresses, visit my profile, and click 'homepage'. It will lead you to a blog, where I had posted all of the girls' dresses. Then you can relate to the argument of Luna and Mikan having similar dresses.

•

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"_It's funny how fate always finds a way to twist our lives in the weirdest of ways."_

•

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I absentmindedly stared at the stairs, leaning my back against the wall. I crossed my arms against my chest. Mr and Mrs Koizumi clapped their hands together excitedly as Luna slowly walked down the stairs, a gleeful smile plastered on her face. I slowly dragged my eyes to look at her. I had to admit: she looked pretty. She wore a short dress no longer than her normal school uniform. It was colored beige, and the top part of the dress was glittered. Her parents wasted no time. They took pictures of her like a maniac on the loose. She was no camera-shy, either. She smiled and posed at each shot.

I snorted. What a camera-whore.

"Natsume-kun!" she beamed as she reached down the stairs. She hooked her arms around my right elbow. "Where's my corsage?"

I shrugged. "Didn't buy one."

"Why?" she asked, looking heartbroken.

"Too poor." I simply replied.

She narrowed her eyes at me. "Hmm. A poor guy who somehow managed to buy himself a Lamborghini. Wow."

I shrugged, not even bothering myself to open my mouth and answer.

"But anyway," she smiled. "I thought you wouldn't buy me a corsage, so I bought one for myself. See?" she lifted her wrist.

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever."

"C'mon," she beamed, slightly urging me forward. "Let's go to prom."

I didn't need any persuasion. I wanted to get out of that house and away from those weird parents of hers. They would _not_ quit taking pictures. "Where's Niko?" I asked her on our way to the door.

She shrugged. "Probably there with his date already."

My car was parked just outside their house, so I almost immediately reached it when I stepped out of the door. What a convenience. Instinctively, I went around the car to the driver's seat.

"Natsume-kun!" Luna whined. "You're not gonna open the door for me?"

I glanced at her and thought for a moment. "Hell no." I muttered under my breath. I opened my door and sat on the car seat, resting both my hands on the steering wheel. Right after, I heard Luna jump to her seat. She crossed her arms and rotated her head to look at me. I started the engine and drove out of the driveway, ignoring Luna's painful stare. This continued on for a few minutes. Luna wouldn't quit staring. It's as if she found my face as the most interesting thing in the whole world. Man, would I beg to differ or what?

"You do know," she said after a while. "That I could have you following my orders like a dummy with just a click of my fingers, right?"

"So why don't you?"

She shrugged. "Because I want you to love me willingly."

I snorted. "Never gonna happen."

"You never know," she smirked. "It's funny how fate always finds a way to twist our lives in the weirdest of ways."

"I don't believe in fate." I told her.

"_Everyone_ believes in fate." she smiled.

"Exclude me."

"Can't." she shrugged.

"Whatever."

Realizing that we've arrived on our destination, she straightened her back and beamed. "Prom, here we come!" she exclaimed.

I parked my car in the nearest parking space I could find. I quickly got out of the car and proceeded on walking towards the great hall of Gakuen Alice, not even waiting for my so-called date.

"Natsume!" I heard her call out.

Still, I did not stop.

"Natsume!" I heard her voice getting closer and closer.

_Damn._

"Natsume-kun!" she hooked her arms around my elbow once again. "That was mean!"

"Do I look like I care?"

"In the inside," she giggled. "I know you do."

I scoffed.

•

•

•

I tapped my fingernails on the table as I waited for Mikan to enter. The hall was slowly getting filled with students and yet there had been no sign of Mikan or Ruka.

"You looking for someone?"

I whipped my head to the right, only to find Niko, who had dragged a chair to sit himself beside me, smirking.

I slightly shook my head. "Nah."

"Fine, keep denying." he said.

I narrowed my eyes at him, but didn't say anything. Instead, I looked around, scanning to see if Mikan had arrived once again.

"My sister's jealous, you know."

"Has there ever been a time she wasn't?" I replied, not bothering to look at him.

"She wishes she was Mikan."

"Tell her to go get a lamp, rub it, and she might find a genie."

"Natsume!" he snapped. "I'm serious!"

I glanced at him. "I know."

"So start acting like you care!"

"But I don't."

Niko heaved a frustrated sigh. "I know I forced you to be her boyfriend and all, but at least act like you _care_. She's hurting."

"I can't act like I care towards a person whom I hate." I told him.

Niko raised his eyebrows. "You hate her?"

It was 'her' brother I was talking to. I couldn't exactly say I hated her straight on. Niko was a black-belt in karate. I was a level below him. Just imagine what he'd do to me if I admitted that I hated his sister's guts.

Niko gave me a threatening glare. "You hate her?" he repeated.

"Not exactly." I said through gritted teeth.

He smirked. "If that's the case, then a dance with her won't hurt, right?"

Niko was pushing my buttons.

"Right?" he asked again, giving me a smile I could only call fake.

Instead of answering, I abruptly stood up and dragged my feet to where Luna and her group of equally disgusting friends sat. I grabbed her arm and dragged her to the dance floor, where couples were already dancing. I placed both her hands on my shoulder and placed my own hands on her hips. It was then that the band chose a slow song to play.

Crap.

Luna smirked. "You're so sweet, Natsume-kun." She linked her fingers together behind my neck and pulled me closer. She nuzzled her head on my chest and swayed in time with the music. I stood rooted to the ground, not moving an inch. I might have said that I would dance with her, but it doesn't mean I would commit to it. I was a known liar, so don't trust everything I say.

"Natsume-kun," Luna hissed. "Why aren't you dancing?"

I shrugged. "I am."

"No, you're not." she said, nudging my feet with hers. "Dance."

I rolled my eyes. "No."

"Mikan-chan!" I heard someone squeal.

I skipped a heartbeat.

"You look so pretty!" The same voice said.

I whipped my head around, trying to spot where the voice came from.

"Mikan?" I absentmindedly whispered. Then I spotted her. She was at the door, a couple of her friends crowding around her.

She caught my gaze. Then she looked at Luna, then back to me. Crap. I pushed Luna away almost immediately.

I saw Mikan frown. "Dance with her." she mouthed.

"No." I mouthed back.

Luna followed my gaze. "Mi-kan." she sneered.

I turned to Luna. "I'll dance with you later." I said half-heartedly.

"But Natsume –"

I glared at her. "I _said_, I'll dance with you _later_."

She crossed her arms. "We all know that's a lie. Once you're with your _ex_," she spat. "You don't go anywhere else."

I smirked. "You know me too well."

She widened her eyes, as if readying herself to say a nasty swear. "Natsume, you –"

I rolled my eyes and walked away, not bothering myself to hear the rest of what she will say.

Mikan had her eyes on me as I approached her. I buried my hand in my pocket, not taking my eyes off of her either. We held our gazes just like that. No one moving a muscle – not even her friends, who were looking at me now as well. Amidst of all these, couples danced; the band played; people gossiped; people made out. And yet, all I could see was Mikan and me. In my own little world, only we two existed. Her friends suddenly vanished. Everyone in the room vanished – all but us.

"Natsume," Mikan nodded at me.

I slightly tugged my lips upward. "Mikan."

She glared at me. "Why are you here?"

"At the prom?" I smirked.

"No," she said. "Here. In front of me."

I looked down and pointed at my legs. "It's because I have these."

"Natsume!" she growled. "_Please_! Don't ruin my prom for me."

All of a sudden, everyone, who I thought have vanished, started coming back. Her friends suddenly appeared beside her. Couples who were dancing on the dance floor slowly appeared once again. I closed my eyes and breathed.

"Natsume?" she asked.

I opened my eyes. "Where's Ruka?"

She looked around her. "Oh." she paused, biting her lips. "He couldn't come."

"Was his face that bad?"

She glared at me. "Don't bring the memories back. I managed to forgive you already because Ruka _begged_ me to forgive you. But if you insist on changing my mind, I'd gladly hate you again."

I shrugged. "I don't have any intent on changing your mind."

She smiled. "Good."

"Oh, my, _gosh_."

Mikan cringed as she looked at the source of the voice, which happened to be Mayo, one of the twins.

Mayo rested her hands on her hips and glared at Mikan's dress – giving her a once-over.

"It's like, Luna-chan took Mikan's dress, cut it into pieces, and wore it herself." Miyu laughed.

"_Exactly_ what I was thinking." Mayo sneered.

Mikan gave them a wry smile. "Maybe it was a coincidence?"

"Hardly!" Miyu screeched. "I saw you going into the same shop Luna-chan went to yesterday."

Mayo nodded and crossed her arms. "Guilty as charged."

Mikan frowned and bit her lips. "I –"

Sumire, who was beside Mikan the whole time, stepped in. "You know, y'all are bitches. I don't _care_ what you think of Mikan. But all I'm gonna say is she's a nice person, and you have _no_ right at all to judge her like that. So get the hell away from us or things might get _ugly_."

The twins sucked in their breathes, as if shocked that Sumire even had the gut to tell them what she just said. They frowned, flicked their hairs to Sumire and walked away.

"Yeah!" Sumire called to them. "That's right! Run to your _mommies_!"

"Permy," Mikan held on to her arm. "Enough."

"Well that was interesting." I chuckled.

"And you!" Sumire snapped, pointing an accusing finger at me. "You didn't even defend Mikan-chan!"

I raised my eyebrows. "Oh I'm _sorry_." I said. "I didn't know I was obliged to."

She squinted her eyes at me and walked away angrily, flinging her arms everywhere as if she was insane.

Mikan lowered her gaze. "Sorry about that, Nattie."

I smirked at the name. "Nattie. It's been a long time since you've called me that."

"Yeah," she smiled. "It's been a long time since we've been civil to each other, too."

I nodded, extending my hand towards her. "Would you like to dance?"

She cocked her head to the side, as if thinking deeply about her answer. She pursed her lips together and placed her hand on top of mine. "Yeah, sure. Why not?"

I led her to the dance floor. Conveniently, the band was still on the roll of playing slow songs. I gently placed her hands on my shoulder as I placed mine around her, securing her in a tight hug. She nuzzled her head on my chest as I sniffed in her smell. Her cherry-blossom smell. It was a fragrance that was hard to forget. It haunts me at night. Every second of everyday, I yearn for that smell. The smell of Mikan Sakura – the one I love. She gently pulled her head back and looked into my eyes. Seeing it as a sign, I slowly dipped my head lower, until my lips were only inches away from hers. I was only a second away from actually kissing her, when I heard her gasp. I opened my eyes and looked at her confusedly. What did I do wrong? Did she not want me to kiss her?

"What –"

"I'm sorry," she said, pushing me away. "We're not supposed to be this close. We're over, remember?" she widened her eyes. "And we were about to _kiss_!"

"Mikan, calm down." I said, reaching out to touch her arm.

She snapped my hand away. "Calm down?" she said. "We were about to _kiss_! Natsume, do you know what the word _means_?"

"It's an act of love." I simply said.

"But we don't love each other!" she retorted.

I felt a sting of pain in my chest. "I still love you." I said.

She looked at me – sadness evident in her eyes. "I don't," she whispered. "I don't love you anymore."

I grabbed her arms and shook her. "You _know_ you're lying."

She closed her eyes as her lips trembled, tears trickling down her cheeks. She slowly shook her head. "No." she whispered.

"Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen. Quick announcement," she speakers boomed out.

I reluctantly let go of Mikan and looked at the stage, where a girl I didn't recognize stood with a microphone in hand.

Mikan slowly sobbed beside me. She covered her mouth with her palm and walked away.

I blinked away tears.

_She looked at me – sadness evident in her eyes._

"_I don't," she whispered. "I don't love you anymore."_

I gritted my teeth together. I _knew_ she was lying. She loved me: I knew it. She was just in denial because we broke-up. But just because we weren't together anymore, does not mean our feelings for each other have faded. I still care for her. She knows that fully well. And I refuse to believe she doesn't feel the same way. We've been together as a couple for a year already. A love that have been harboured for a year can't vanish just like that. It's emotionally impossible. Even for Mikan Sakura.

"Guys, it's time to announce the Prom King and Queen!" the girl beamed, holding an envelope in her hand. "As you know, there was a ballot box at the far end of the room. Most of you voted who you want to be the queen and king. In my hand is the result."

She then proceeded to open the envelope slowly, all the while sneaking glances at the crowd. When her eyes landed on me, she gave me a wink.

I scoffed. What kind of a presenter is that? Favoritism. Go figure.

"Well, this is no surprise," she smirked as she read the envelope. "Welcome our Prom King to the stage: Natsume Hyuuga!"

I buried my hand in my pocket as I slowly approached the stage. Everyone made way for me as they whispered and clapped. The presenter placed a crown on my head and leaned to my ear. "Congratulations," she whispered. She retreated just as a guy gave her another envelope, which she immediately started opening. Her eyes widened. "Well, it seems as if we have a problem here, guys!" she said into the microphone. Everyone started whispering to each other.

"What now?" I muttered under my breath.

"We have a tie for the title of Prom Queen!" she beamed. The whispering went louder. Not that I could blame them. It was very unusual. This has never happened before. A tie for Prom Queen? Unheard of! "The only solution for this is for the Prom King to pick his Prom Queen out of the finalists!" She said.

I jerked my head up. Why was I included in this mess? They're the ones who initiated this thing. Why should I be the one to fix it?

"He has to pick between Luna Koizumi," she paused for effect. "And Mikan Sakura."

The whispers went louder – if that was even possible.

I saw Luna push herself forward from the crowd. She placed her hands on her hips and held her head high, as if mistaking herself for a princess.

"Go on, Natsume-kun," the presenter said. "Go pick."

I scanned the crowd. Every eye was on me, waiting for my reply. I looked at Luna and held her gaze for a couple of minutes. The poor girl thought I was going to choose her. I scanned the crowd once again. When my eyes landed at a certain brunette, a small smile was immediately plastered on my face. She slowly shook her head and mouthed a small _'no'_. I slowly lifted my arm and pointed my index finger at her.

She shook her head vigorously. "No!" she shouted.

"I pick Mikan Sakura." I simply said.

Mikan looked away, bringing her hand up to wipe her tears. She then looked at me, with a glare that can match up to an Eagle's. She made her way to the stage. A girl then proceeded to place a crown on her head.

"It's now time for the Prom's main event," the presenter beamed. "The King and Queen's first dance!"

Everyone cheered, except for Luna and her minions. The band started playing a slow song, anticipating the start of our dance.

I held my hand out for Mikan to accept. She narrowed her eyes at me and took my hand. I pulled her to me and wrapped my arms around her. To my surprise, she didn't even try to fight me off.

I pulled her away at arm's length. "Mikan?" I said.

She looked at me as tears gathered around her eyes.

"Mikan?" I repeated.

She bit her lips, the tears falling down her cheeks. "Sorry." she said. She pushed me away and ran.

"Mikan!" I ran after her.

She ran outside, fell to the ground and cried.

"Mikan," I said, gathering her in my arms. "Shh," I whispered in her ear. "Stop crying. Shh."

Just then, a car cascaded in front of me and stopped. The door opened and a guy stepped out.

"Ruka." I whispered absentmindedly.

"Sakura!" he said alarmingly as he shoved me away, taking Mikan in his arms instead.

"Ruka," she cried, burying her face on his neck.

Ruka? Since when had she been calling him Ruka? Where was the '-pyon'?

"What happened?" he asked, stroking her hair.

She shook her head. She straightened her back and wiped her wet cheeks. She looked at me, held Ruka's hand and stood up.

"Ruka," she said to me, pointing to my former best friend. "Is now my boyfriend."

•

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_Until next chapter..._


	6. Chapter 6

**Circle of Friends**  
Chapter VI

**zagogay**

**Day of publication:**January 20, 2010  
**Edited:** November 6, 2011  
_(New Zealand time)_

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**Dedication**

**To** L's apprentice, who managed to be my hundredth reviewer, albeit not intentionally.

•

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I swivelled the car to a complete stop, perfectly parking it in a spot on the parking lot at a somewhat run-down hotel. I turned my head sideways, not taking my hand off the leather steering wheel. "Sakura –"

"You have to start calling me Mikan now, if we want them to believe we're really going out," she said, cutting me off. She had this glazed expression plastered on her face. I bit my lower lip and looked away. Wasn't this what I wanted? To finally be Sa– … Mikan's boyfriend? No… not _this_ way. The look on Natsume's face when Mikan declared that we were together was heartbreaking. Even though, yes, he's my _former_ best friend now, but still, you can't forget that you care about someone you spent your whole life with, easily. He was Natsume. God knows how much hardships we've been through together, only to be broken up by this silly little dispute. But then again, _this_ is Mikan Sakura, the girl I've been crushing on ever since Natsume introduced her to the group.

"Isn't this what you wanted?" she said, dragging her eyes to stare at me. "To have me."

I looked out the window, desperately looking for something worthwhile to look at. "Do you just plainly want to hurt him?" I asked her.

I felt her gaze lifted off of me. She sighed. "If that's what it takes for him to give up on me, then yes, I do hope Natsume gets hurt in all of this."

I snapped my head around to look at her. "He's already hurt, Sakura! Immensely. He loves you, you know that, and I believe you love him back. You're just in denial."

A soft collision between the small droplets of rain and the hood of my convertible car was heard. The rain started spitting and my wiper started moving, left to right then back again, in the attempt to remove all the water building up. Mikan looked out of the window. She brought her hand up and rested her index finger on the heavily tainted glass, drawing pictures using the mist.

"How did you manage to come at the last minute?" she asked.

"Don't change the subject!" I snapped.

She slowly turned her head to look at me. She brought her palms up and placed them on either side of my face.

"You like me, don't you?" she asked, her puffy, red eyes silently pleading for me to say yes. I slowly nodded my head. "Then fight for me!" she said, creasing her forehead. "Don't let me go…"

I closed my eyes as she took back her hands. I rested my head on my clenched fist, which was still grasping the steering wheel tightly. "Natsume deserves you more than me." I muttered, on the verge of tears. No. I won't cry. I'm a man. I should act like it. Men were supposed to be strong; a macho. Crying wasn't even the least bit manly.

"Natsume has Luna," Mikan said, resting a trembling hand on my broad back. "No guy deserves two girls, Ruka."

I took a deep breath, attempting to take step one on our supposed relationship. "Mikan," I whispered, liking the way the name just naturally rolled off my tongue, as if I've been calling her that for a million years. "Mikan," I repeated. I smiled. "Mikan."

•

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•

I scanned through my surroundings. From the pink cherry blossoms all lined up perfectly in the garden, to the freshly mowed green grass where students casually laid, chatting and teasing. It was lunch time, and Mikan had dragged me here, not a single smile visiting her lips.

"What's so special about this place?" I asked her, noticing that we'd stopped walking, and her eyes seemed to be casted somewhere in the distance.

"That," she said, pointing to a certain Sakura tree that didn't look all too special for someone to take notice of more than the others. "Is where we always spend our sweetest times together. Natsume and I."

My eyebrow rose. "And?"

She looked back at me, not batting an eyelash. "He still comes here, even after the break-up."

My eyes twitched. Should I be even caring about these? This has absolutely no relevance to the topic of pretending to be her boyfriend. None at all. "And?" I asked again, my eyebrows still held up high.

"We're gonna share our first kiss there." She said, showing no emotions in her eyes whatsoever. Before I could utter a reply, she held my hand and proceeded to lead me to the Sakura tree she pointed to earlier. She placed her hands on my shoulders and forcibly sat me down, now that we found a good amount of shade from the tree. She carefully sat herself down and laid her head on my lap, linking her hand with mine. I looked down at her, her hair messed up around her face – an image you'd only imagine seeing when you're underwater.

"When he comes," she told me. "Kiss me."

I slightly frowned, slowly coming to the conclusion that the feeling I'm harvesting in this is that of strangeness. I don't feel good about this. Kissing Mikan would feel as if I betrayed my best friend, albeit former. Okay, well, I _did_ somehow betray him already, but it feels different. Kissing Mikan would take betrayal into a completely different level. And I'm not the kind to just shrug off that feeling. I would carry that in my shoulders for the rest of my life. And I couldn't bear to do that.

I sighed, leaning my head back on the tree, casually looking sideways, only to spot a carving. But it was no ordinary carving. It was a carving made by fire. There was no mistake about it.

**Natsume  
4  
Mikan  
4ever**

I cringed.

"Oh," Mikan said, grabbing my attention. She smiled. "Don't worry about that. That was months ago."

Yes, it was months ago, but it was still made. It was still there, and honestly, it doesn't feel right kissing her with the presence of that carving. "I…" I paused, suddenly feeling out of breath. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. "I don't think I can kiss you, Mikan."

"Why?"

"N-not like this!" I said.

She lifted up her head from my lap and started sitting up, a sour expression on her face. "Why?"

"I just…" I looked away. "It doesn't feel _right_."

"I thought you liked me!" she said, grabbing the sleeve of my polo shirt. "You like me, Ruka, don't you?"

"I do," I assured her. "But this," I looked around. "This doesn't feel right!" I stood up and buried my hands in my pockets. "I'm sorry, Mikan. But I can't be your boyfriend unless you're actually willing to try and love me back. Once you've sorted out your feelings, _then_ come and talk to me." I turned around and walked away, not daring to look back at her, because once I do, I knew I wouldn't be able to manage to stay away from her. I would run to her and hug her for dear life, and would probably have no plan at all to let her go. I didn't want that. I didn't want a girlfriend who clearly loves another. I wanted a girlfriend who at least _tries_ to love me. And currently, Mikan Sakura was _not_ that girl. But God knows how much I wanted her to be.

•

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I walked through the hall of the High School Division, suddenly being aware of all the stares I received this morning. I buried my hands in my pockets, casting my vision downwards, not wanting to meet everyone's judging gaze. Pfft. What did they know? _Nothing_. They didn't have the right to judge me, Mikan, or even Natsume. But still. They held the power to make us feel intimidated. They were the people, the witnesses. They could manipulate your mind: make you think what they wanted you to think. And I, for one, am scared of them.

I grumbled in distress. Why couldn't the people mind their own business? Why did they have to pry into our lives and stick their noses into it, treating it as if they were the one with the problem? Why couldn't they just bugger off?

"Well, that's what people do." I heard someone huff behind me. I turned my head around. "Hey," Koko said, hands in his pockets – a typical 'bad boy' image, with his necktie unclasped, his jacket undone, and the first three buttons of his white polo shirt unbuttoned. It was an image I could imagine Natsume pulling off, but not Koko.

"Hey," I smiled.

He returned the smile, but it was forced, I could see that. The smile didn't travel up to his eyes, which usually did when it came to Koko. "Look," he said, dropping his forced smile. "I'll get straight to the point."

I suddenly felt nervous. Koko was usually happy-go-lucky, but at the moment, I was getting bad vibes from him. Have I done something wrong? I laughed. Of course I have.

"It has probably spread to the whole school by now. You and Mikan-chan are together, yes?" he said.

I nodded and breathed out a small "yep".

"Look, I won't lie. I don't like you. I mean, I do," he muttered. "But I don't like you together with Mikan-chan."

I winced. "Why?"

"I like Natsume better. I don't _exactly_ know why. But the thoughts that I hear whenever he's around Mikan are always positive. He's never thought anything bad about her in his mind," he looked away. "And honestly, I don't think Mikan-chan even likes you."

"Why are you telling me this?"

He looked annoyed. "Look, the rumours about _you_ aren't exactly nice. And I, for one, votes for Natsume. But if Mikan chooses _you_, I can't exactly do anything about it, so, just… take care of her." He patted me on my shoulders and walked away.

•

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I sunk myself lower on my seat, avoiding the gazes of people who wouldn't quit staring at me. It was Geography. Mikan and Natsume weren't in my class for Geography – something I never knew I would one day be thankful for. I was avoiding Mikan. And I was sure as hell am avoiding Natsume, too. We've all been avoiding each other, as a matter of fact. I've not spoken to Natsume since prom. And although I _do_ speak to Mikan, I can only manage to go through small talk, and eventually, one of us would have to make up an excuse to leave. It has been awkward between us ever since I told her to sort out her feelings before going and talking to me about that subject. But she hasn't made the effort to make me feel as if she's trying to love me, either. She hasn't spoken about that subject ever since.

I grunted in distress. What a messed up life I held. And _they_ thought I had it perfect. What a bunch of bullocks.

"Okay, class!" the teacher clapped his hands together as the bell rang. "Pack your things and go. Don't forget to do the activities in pages 214 and 218."

The class grunted in reply and started whispering and gossiping to each other as they headed out the door, some even turning around to glance at me and giggle. I sighed and quickly gathered all my books and things together and headed out the door myself, when a girl I didn't recognize propelled herself in front of me, blocking the door's entrance. Luckily, we were the only ones left, so no one was behind me getting irritated that I won't get a move on.

"Hi," she smiled flirtatiously.

I almost immediately knew where it was going.

"I heard you and Sakura Mikan broke up." she said.

"Well you heard wrong." I retorted.

"Oh really?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "It doesn't look like it." she smirked. "You see, I've been observing the way you talk to Sakura lately. And it doesn't seem like there's any special connection between you guys."

"We're _trying_ to work it _out_," I said through gritted teeth. "Now if you would excuse me," I moved her body to the side and made my way out of the classroom, muttering some words that even I was surprised I had a courage to say.

•

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I closed the door and went for my bed, wanting to sleep after the exhausting day. Classes were over – I was grateful. I immediately felt for my phone as soon as it vibrated. I held it to my ear and waited for a response.

"_Ruka-kun!"_someone sobbed on the other line.

"Umenomiya?"

"_Ruka-kun!"_ she cried. _"Mi-Mikan-chan,"_

"Mikan?" I gasped. "Did something happen to her?"

"_Y-yes."_ she sobbed. _"She… she got hit by a car."_

My eyes widened. "What?"

_"She was crossing the road, and this car just suddenly hit her and.. and.."_

"And?"

_"And she was bleeding, Ruka-kun! She was badly hurt! I'm with her at the hospital right now. She's in the emergency room,"_she cried._"Ruka-kun, hurry and come! She needs you!"_

I dropped my phone and ran to my car with speed I never knew I had.

•

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•

"Umenomiya," I whispered, loud enough for the girl to hear.

She looked up at me, tears evident in her eyes. How long has she been crying? "Ruka-kun!" she stood up and ran to me, wrapping her arms around my stomach.

"Hush," I whispered, rubbing my hand up and down her back to sooth her. At times like these, I have no idea what to do or what to say. I looked around, my eyes meeting with that of doctors and nurses, hurrying to whatever their job called for.

Sekiguchi Hospital was where we were at. Apparently, this was the closest hospital Anna could bring Mikan to.

"Anna Umenomiya?" a doctor called out.

Anna lifted her head off my shoulders. "Yes?"

The doctor went over to us, a grave look on his face. "Sakura Mikan is fine, but she suffered some severe head injuries. There are some complications and we don't exactly know what happened yet, but it's alright if you visit her." he smiled. "She's at room 238."

Anna looked at me. "I can't go," she sobbed. "I won't be able to bear seeing her like that." she looked away. "You go, Ruka-kun."

"Are you sure?" I asked her, holding her at arm's length.

"Yeah," she nodded. "Really. You go."

I silently thanked her and ran to room 238, where an unmistakable figure of Mikan lay on the bed. She had a bandage wrapped around her forehead, a wince of pain on her face.

"Mikan?" I silently called out as I made my way to her bed.

Still, she did not open her eyes.

"Mikan?" I repeated.

No response.

I gripped her hand as I dragged a chair over to sit myself beside her bed. "Mikan?"

Finally, she opened her eyes. It took her a while to get accustomed to the light, having had her eyes closed for a while. She scanned the room for a moment until her gaze landed on me. A look of confusion filled her face as she tried her best to speak. "Who… are you?"

I raised my eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

She wiggled her hand free from my grasp, her face etched in fear. "Who are you?" she screamed.

•

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_To be continued..._


	7. Chapter 7

**Circle of Friends**  
Chapter VII

**zagogay**

**Day of original publication:**March 3, 2010  
**Day of revised publication:** July 16, 2010  
**Edited:** November 6, 2011  
_(New Zealand time)_

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Natsume ran through the halls of the Sekiguchi Hospital, his heart beating so fast, that he feared that it might jump right out of his body at any given time. Mikan, the girl whom he loved so much, was somewhere in this hospital, resting in one of the rooms, and God knows how much pain she was going through. Even though Mikan had rejected him numerous of times already, he couldn't seem to get himself to stay away from her. He would admit – he did consider the option of trying to get her jealous, using Luna as bait. He'd seen it in many movies. The girl dumps the guy. The guy makes the girl jealous, and the girl _gets_ jealous, and tries to get the guy back again. That was his theory. But the screws in his head were tight enough to restrain him from doing it. He couldn't get himself to be mean towards Mikan. He just couldn't. But why did she have to get herself in an accident? Did she want to die? Was _he_ the reason she wanted to die, if she did? If that was the case, then he'd let her go. He knew it would hurt, but if he kept on holding on and would eventually lead to her losing her life, then he'd rather let go. Watching from afar is better than losing her. He knew it would hurt. It would most likely be the hardest thing he would have to endure in his life. The art of letting go was never an easy subject.

Natsume halted to a stop in front of the reception desk, not even bothering to keep his usually cool and calm façade. Breathing heavily, he asked the receptionist where Mikan Sakura's room was.

"She's in room 238. If you turn to the right and walk straight ahead," she said, pointing her finger towards the direction. "You'd spot her room." she smiled gently at him.

"Thanks," he panted, before storming off to the direction of Mikan's room. At a distance, he could see that the door was slightly ajar, as if someone had forgotten to close it in haste of seeing the patient. In a way, his theory was correct.

He slowly walked towards the door, with a pace you'd only suspect a turtle using. His heartbeat became faster, if such thing was even possible, in his situation. His long, thin fingers wrapped around the knob, ever so gently pushing the door to take a peak of what's happening inside.

Laughter. Lots of them. _That_was what he heard.

"Oh, Natsume!"

Natsume's attention diverted to the lump on the bed, with Mikan's head sticking out. Beside her was the unmistakable figure of Ruka Nogi, his former best friend. He could see that they were in the middle of having a laughing fit when he entered the room.

"Natsume," Mikan beamed, gesturing him to come over to her bedside. "Look, I made a new friend!"

Ruka laughed. "And it looks like I made a new friend, too."

Natsume raised his eyebrows. Were they playing a joke on him? He wasn't stupid, they knew that, so why would they even try? "A new friend?" he called out, walking towards the two. He stopped by Mikan and held her hand.

"Yeah," Ruka smiled. "A new friend. Her name's Mikan."

"I know that." Natsume said through gritted teeth. Natsume took a deep breath. This guy was testing his patience. But nevertheless, he needed to make sure Mikan was alright. "Are you still hurting?"

Mikan shook her head. "I'm fine now, Natsume. You don't have to worry about me. Ruka-kun here was helping me take my mind off the pain."

He stiffened. "Really?"

"Yeah," Mikan nodded. "He says you're his best friend. I can't believe I haven't met him 'till now!"

Natsume chuckled. His gaze turned to Ruka. "Really now?"

"We're the best of friends, aren't we, Natsume?" Ruka winked.

"Of course," Natsume nodded. "We sure are."

•

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•

"Are you here for Miss Mikan Sakura?"

They turned their attention to the figure standing on the doorway. A man was dressed in all white, wearing a lab coat.

"Obviously," Natsume deadpanned. "We're in her room, aren't we?"

"O-of course." the doctor said, adjusting his glasses. "Can both of you come with me outside? I need to discuss some important matters with both of you."

Natsume was the first to stand up, tucking his hands inside his pockets. He followed the doctor outside, where he leaned against the wall, keeping his head low. Ruka followed shortly after.

"Who's the closest to her here?" the doctor asked, holding a clipboard in his right hand.

"I'm her boyfriend." they both said in unison.

"No, I am." they both snarled.

The doctor faked a cough. "Nevertheless, Mikan's condition is temporary."

"What _is_her condition?" Natsume asked.

The doctor raised his eyebrows. "Oh my. I thought that you'd figure that out already, given that you've talked to her."

"I... I did, but nothing seemed to be wrong with her," Natsume said. "Other than the fact that she doesn't hate me anymore."

"She has amnesia, you dimwit." Ruka rolled his eyes.

"Amnesia?"

"Yes, but as I said, it will only be temporary. Her memories will return in the foreseeable future. It might take a few days, a few weeks, it may even take a few years. We never know. But her memories _will_return." the doctor announced quite happily.

"Wait, you said amnesia, right?"

The doctor nodded.

"Well, if she has amnesia, then how come she still remembers me?"

"I've ran some tests over that matter, and we couldn't find an answer, I'm afraid. It could be that when she was hit, all the memories that she wanted to get rid of went away."

Ruka chuckled. "She wanted to forget about me?"

"Well," the doctor paused. "It may not be that case, it may be because of something else. As I said earlier, we are not sure yet. We will run some more tests on Miss Sakura. We will let you know what we find. Have a good day, young lads." he nodded, before turning around to walk away.

"You're not bothered that she forgot about you because she _wanted_to?" Natsume asked, incredulous.

"No." Ruka shook his head. "You know why? Because it doesn't matter anymore." Ruka smirked, shaking his head. "I'll steal her away from you, Natsume."

"No, you won't."

"Oh, yes I will."

"Didn't you hear the doctor?" he snapped. "She'll gain her memories _back_. There's no point of making her fall in love with you if she'll remember all _this_."

"So? When she gains her memories back, she won't even care anymore. She loves me, and that's what all that matters."

Natsume smirked. "You're an idiot, Ruka. She remembers _me_, and not you. That alone proves that she'll forget you and not me when the time comes."

"Time will tell." Ruka smirked. "But for the meantime, can we pretend we're friends? Just in front of her. I don't want her stressed out about this whole not-friends-anymore thing. She's got enough to be worrying about."

"You talk as if you're the one that cares about her the most." Natsume spat.

"And I am."

"Wrong. _I_care about her the most. So go home, Ruka. She won't fall in love with you. _Ever_."

Ruka chuckled. "You're gonna order me in _that_manner? I don't think so." he turned and walked back into the room.

•

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_Until next chapter..._


	8. Chapter 8

**Circle of Friends**  
Chapter VIII

**zagogay**

**Day of publication:**July 23, 2010  
**Edited:** November 6, 2011  
_(New Zealand time)_

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•

"_What_? You're blaming this on _me_ now?"

Natsume stopped on his tracks. It was after school hours at the campus. He didn't think anyone would still be there. He was alone, wasn't he? That was why he went there in the first place – to get some time alone.

"It was your fault! I told you to hit her hard!"

"I _did_! Our best bet was amnesia! We didn't want her dead, did we?"

"Of course not..."

Natsume raised his eyebrows. The voices stopped. He turned his head towards the direction of the voices. He leaned in.

"Onii-san!" said a hushed voice.

"That..." Natsume whispered. He recognized the voice. He _knew_ that voice. The name was on the tip of his tongue.

"You know I'm doing this for you, right? So you can be happy?"

"Of course."

Natsume stepped closer to the door, where the voices seemed to be coming from. They were inside a classroom.

"Shut up, I hear footsteps."

Natsume stopped. His eyes widened. He finally figured out who it was.

Quickly grabbing the doorknob, Natsume swung the door open to unmask the owners of the hushed voices he was listening to.

•

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•

He paced back and forth, not knowing what to do. What _should_ he do? This wasn't good. If his guess was right, then this is definitely _not_ good. Should he call Ruka? Just for advice? Should he call... he had no one else.

He took out his phone and dialled a number.

"_Hello?"_

"Hey, can we meet up ASAP? I need to talk to you."

•

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•

Bobbing his knee up and down was doing him no good. It was getting him even more agitated, but he couldn't stop. He was... more or less, blinded with fury. He couldn't think straight, and the noise inside the restaurant wasn't helping him any bit.

"Stop it, Natsume," Ruka sighed, scratching his head out of frustration. Watching Natsume go on like that wasn't exactly his cup of tea. "The only reason I came here in the first place is because Mikan was right next to me, and I couldn't refuse you when you asked me to come. We were pretending to be friends, _remember_?"

"And the only reason I called _you_ is because you're the only one aside from me who would _care_ about this piece of information I gathered."

"Yet you _still_ haven't told me what kind of information it is."

Natsume adjusted in his seat. "Look, I was walking around the Academy, after school, when I heard a conversation."

"You eavesdropped?"

"_Accidentally_," He glared. "I'm pretty sure it was a guy and a girl. The guy was blaming the girl for not hitting someone hard enough. The girl said something about amnesia. You see where I'm going with this?"

Ruka's eyes widened. "Does this have anything to do with Mikan's accident?"

Natsume nodded. "I recognized their voices, and if my assumptions are right –"

"Why didn't you knock the door open to see who they were?" Ruka snapped.

"I did!" Natsume shouted. "But they were already _gone_!"

Ruka stood up abruptly. "You're useless."

"It was Luna. Luna and Niko," Natsume said, taking a deep breath. "There's no mistake about it. I'm sure it was them."

Ruka cursed. "Those bastards!"

Natsume calmly stood up. "I'm gonna go and beat them up. You wanna come?"

"Wouldn't wanna miss it."

•

•

•

"Should we knock or just barge in?" Natsume asked.

"Would they answer the door if we knock?"

"Probably not."

"Then barge in." Ruka laughed.

Natsume smirked. He walked a few meters away from the door they were standing by, just to get some pace. He broke into a sprint and charged towards the door, breaking it into two pieces. "Niko!" he shouted, barging into the room.

Ruka looked at the broken door, now lying on the floor, and cringed. "Remind me not to mess with Natsume..." then he laughed, remembering the incidents leading up to where they currently were."Too late."

Natsume turned around. "Niko's not here."

"Are you sure?" Ruka asked, stepping into the room. He looked around, trying to get a glimpse of a possible escape tunnel that Niko and his sister might have gone through. "I guess they really _ain't_ here."

"Shut up," Natsume hushed, putting his index finger against his lips, the universal sign for 'silence'. "Take out your phone, Ruka, and put it on recording.

"Turn on my recording?" Ruka asked, making a face that said, 'what the hell are you planning'.

"Yes, Ruka, your _phone_. Press the record button and please be quiet!" Natsume hissed, creeping towards the closet to hide. Ruka ran inside the toilet, choosing it as his hiding spot.

"Onii-san, do you think they heard us?"

"Shut up, don't be so negative. No one heard us, and even if they did, they wouldn't know we were talking about Sakura... shit! What the hell happened to my door?"

"A burglar?" she gasped.

"No... something's up... I smell something fishy."

She laughed. "Onii-san, that's probably just me. Tsukui dared me to hold a fish for five seconds. I know, ew, right?"

"Shut-up, I was meaning it metaphorically. Something isn't right."

"Shit," Natsume cursed silently. He heard footsteps, slowly coming to him. What if they come in the closet and see him? What would he do then?

"Onii-san! What are you doing?"

"Checking the closet, Luna, can't you see? I feel like someone's in here."

"You're so paranoid! Stop it!"

"_You_ stop it!" He shouted.

"Crap," Natsume cursed. The door to the closet he was slowly opening, illuminating light inside the cramp room.

"Who the fuck...?" Niko started. "Natsume?"

He scratched his forehead as he tried to act like he was shocked. "What the hell? How did I get here?"

"What the –"

"Oh look at the time," Natsume yawned, looking at his watch. "It's late! I need to sleep."

"It's four in the afternoon, Natsume."

"Yeah and so?"

"Why would you slee –"

"Who's that?" Luna asked, peering into the bedroom door. "Omigosh, Natsume-kun?" she beamed. She ran to Natsume and jumped on him.

"Get off me," he hissed. "Bitch."

"Don't call my sister like that." Niko shouted, roughly taking Luna's arms away from Natsume. He shoved Natsume by the shoulders, causing him to go deeper into the closet.

Natsume smirked, shaking his head. "You really don't want to fight with me right now."

"Oh yeah? And why is that?" Niko challenged.

"Hold up, hold up!" Ruka suddenly barged out of the toilet and stood in between of Natsume and Niko.

"Ruka's here _too_?" Niko growled.

"So what?"

"You guys aren't friends anymore." He said.

"Yeah so? What if we made up?" Ruka snapped.

"We haven't." Natsume deadpanned.

"Not helping, Natsume." Ruka muttered.

"Nothing wrong with telling the truth."

"Stop it all with the chitter-chatter! My headache's starting to ache!" Luna screeched, covering her ears with her perfectly polished and moisturized hand. "What are you guys doing here in the first place?"

"None of your business." Natsume calmly said, putting his hands inside his pockets. "Come on, Ruka, let's go." He walked past Niko and Luna. He took a backward glance towards them, before striding out the door.

In the hallway, Natsume smirked and asked, "You got the recording?"

"Yup." Ruka said, mirroring Natsume's smirk.

They both walked out of the dorm building, side by side, a smile on both their faces. They _finally_ have the power to get rid of those two freaks. And _finally_, they feel comfortable in each other's presence once again, something that they both secretly missed.

•

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It was a morning like no other. Sitting under the Sakura tree with the one you love was pure bliss. It could match no other memory they ever shared. After a long time staying in the hospital, to be tested and prodded in a million different ways, Mikan Sakura was glad she could finally feel the way how the air tickled her skin, how her nostril longed for that smell – the smell of spring waiting in the corner, how the corners of her lips tugs up whenever she sees how all the Sakura trees happen to line up in a perfect horizontal line, as if it was coincidentally on purpose.

"This is nice, isn't it?" she asked, resting her head on her lover's broad chest.

"Yeah," he nodded. "It's been a while since we've been like this."

She laughed. "Really? No, it hasn't!"

He wanted to say, 'To you, but to me, it's been months since I was allowed to caress you like this,' but instead, what came out of his mouth was something completely different. "No, you're right. Just before the accident, we were sitting in this exact same spot, right under this Sakura tree."

She smiled, closing her eyes. "Yeah, I remember. You told me you would introduce me to your friends that day, too. But you never did! I had to meet Ruka-kun in the hospital. It was so embarrassing, Natsume!"

He smirked, quickly trying to think of an excuse why he 'didn't' introduce her to Ruka that day. Well he did, technically, but that doesn't matter now, since she doesn't remember Ruka at all. "Well I didn't want him falling in love with you. I wanted him to catch you at your worse. You're mine, remember?"

She blushed, nuzzling her head on his neck. "I know. I'm yours. Forever."

He smiled. "Mikan," he breathed, contemplating whether he should continue on what he was going to say or back out like what his conscience is telling him to.

"Yeah?" she turned her head around to look at him. "What is it?"

He closed his eyes and leaned his back on the trunk of the Sakura tree. "I've been thinking..."

"What is it? You're scaring me."

He took a deep breath. There will be a lot of consequences with this, but if it meant happiness with Mikan, he was willing to take it on. "Do you want to elope?"

"Like, r-run away?" she asked, her voice a mere whisper.

"Yes!" Natsume exclaimed as he grabbed Mikan's hand, placing it over his chest. "Please."

"But why?"

"Why? Because I said so."

Mikan laughed. "Don't kid around, Natsume. I'm being serious."

He closed his eyes. "Look," he sighed. "You lost your memories."

"I know."

"There are some horrible things that happened, stuff that I wouldn't want you to remember," he said. "Ever."

Mikan smiled gently. She brought up her hand to caress his cheeks softly. "You dummy."

"I'm a what?"

She laughed. "Nothing," she sighed, taking her hand back. She stood up and faced the wind, spreading her arms out like a bird ready to take flight. "Natsume," she called out, looking over her shoulders. "Can't you just forget about those horrible things you speak of, and enjoy life? No matter how horrible they are – it doesn't count anymore. My brain wiped it clean and guess what?" she smiled. She turned around and faced the sitting figure of the infamous Black Cat. "I chose to remember you."

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_Until next chapter..._


	9. Chapter 9

**Circle of Friends **

**zagogay**

**Day of publication:** November 13, 2011  
(New Zealand time)

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It's been three months since Mikan's accident. Slowly, things started getting back to the way they were – before she entered Natsume's world. Her friends understood and took on the task of pretending nothing had happened. They pretended that the breakup never happened. They pretended that everything was all right. Slowly, they weren't even pretending anymore. Slowly, everything really started to be all right. Slowly, it was like as if everything was really back to normal. That was what everyone liked to think.

"I can't believe I missed prom," Mikan huffed as she sat down on the table in the cafeteria next to her friends, who suddenly stopped talking as soon as she appeared. "I mean, hello, it's been my life-long dream to attend prom."

"Well hello to you too," Sumire said, raising her eyebrows.

"Permy, how did I look?" Mikan asked, resting her cheek on her palm.

Without missing a beat, Sumire smiled at her close friend. "Of course you looked beautiful. Duh, I dressed you up. As long as it has something to do with me, you'll always look beautiful."

"You made every man out there jealous, Mikan." Koko said. "And of course, excluding me, since you know, I have my love right next to me. Wouldn't wanna get in trouble, you know?" he winked. He laughed as Sumire hit his arm. Playful or otherwise – no one was sure.

"What happened during, though?" Mikan asked, smiling ear to ear upon hearing compliment after compliment being thrown upon her.

Silence fell upon them. Not a word was spoken in response. Anna and Nonoko lowered their heads to avoid eye-contact with Mikan. Kokoro pretended not to know anything while Sumire snapped her head towards Natsume, who has been quiet this whole time. He didn't want to get involved.

"It was wonderful, Mikan," Sumire said through gritted teeth, her gaze not leaving Natsume even for a split second. "It was so much fun."

"And…?" Mikan laughed, oblivious of the tension in the air.

"Tell her, Natsume. How was it?" Sumire asked, cocking her head to the right, as if genuinely curious. "I mean, after all, it was you who was with her the whole night, right?"

Mikan giggled. "I almost forgot. Of course it was Natsume who was with me during prom." She hugged the boy next to her as he wrapped his arms around her delicate body.

"We were crowned King and Queen of prom, Mikan." He said, his eyes digging a hole in Sumire's face, who just smirked in return.

Mikan gasped. "Really?" she beamed, holding him at arm's length. "I've always seen them on television! I've always wanted to be crowned Prom Queen! Only popular girls get to be Prom Queens."

"Yeah, you were Prom Queen and I was your King," Natsume's gaze returned to her as he kissed her temple. "We danced, we talked, and you looked really happy." He lied.

Mikan pouted. "I feel even more upset now. How come no one took pictures? Hotaru," Mikan turned to her best friend. "How come you didn't take pictures? I mean, it was a great and easy way to make money!"

Hotaru dragged her eyes to look at Natsume. "I don't know, Mikan. What was I thinking?" she said, her voice laced with sarcasm.

Natsume looked away. He had ordered Hotaru to get rid of the pictures she took, as soon as she found out about Mikan's amnesia. He set her camera on fire after she refused to do so. He wasn't being selfish, was he? If Mikan saw those pictures, she would be wondering why she was crying in almost every shot. It was for her own good that she didn't know, right? It was better this way. He was happy that things were back to normal. He was glad to be back together with Mikan. He would let absolutely nothing to get in the way of keeping everything as it was.

Mikan huffed and crossed her arms, mimicking what a five-year-old would have done if things didn't go their way. "I've been robbed of the best night of my life."

Natsume smirked. "That's not true," he said, placing his arm comfortably around her shoulders. He leaned his head on hers and closed his eyes. "Your happiest night would have to be on our honeymoon, right?"

Koko laughed. "Oh my god, wow. That has got to be one of the cheesiest things I've ever heard."

"Isn't it sad how an emotionless man is more romantic than you, Koko? And this is coming from your girlfriend." Sumire said as she crossed her arms in annoyance.

"Just this once, Shouda, I'm going to forgive you for calling me emotionless." Natsume glared.

"What are you talking about, baby?" Koko smirked. "I represent love itself. Like, literally," he laughed. "Kokoro means heart, doesn't it? I believe that you've hit the jackpot, baby boo."

Sumire rolled her eyes. "Why must you keep reminding me what a fail job your mother did at naming you? _Obviously_ her Alice isn't something that allows her to see into the future, seeing that she couldn't predict her son turning out like…" she paused. "… you."

"But what about me?" Mikan frowned. "Do I look like a tangerine to you?"

Sumire squinted her eyes. "Now that I think about it…"

Mikan laughed and hit her arm from across the table. "Well it seems like Natsume's the only one that was properly named. 'Natsu' meaning summer. Fits you perfectly, Natsume." She smiled.

Natsume shrugged. "I guess so."

"Hotaru's one is pretty," Anna exclaimed. "I mean, I _love_ fireflies."

"They're pretty," Nonoko agreed. "You're lucky, Hotaru-chan."

Hotaru shrugged. "I guess so."

Mikan smiled. "You guys are so cute," she beamed.

It was a normal day, after all. They talked and laughed, enjoying each other's presence. They joked and teased, not caring how loud their voices have become. They didn't care about what other people thought of them. They didn't care that people were stopping in their tracks just to see a group of loud students in the middle of the cafeteria. They were having fun. They were Mikan's circle of friends.

As Natsume looked around him, scanning each person's face and expressions, he couldn't help but feel happy that he was hanging out with this bunch of people, rather than the 'friends' he regarded as his closest acquaintances for so long.

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"Don't forget to do your homework, everyone."

They groaned in response as everyone started packing up upon hearing the bell to dismiss them. Mikan picked up her books and rushed out the door. It wasn't until a couple of steps later that she felt herself being hauled back into the classroom. Bewildered, she frantically looked around to see the culprit.

"Mikan-chan," it was a girl's voice. She held Mikan by the shoulders and spun her around so they were facing each other. "Hi."

Mikan raised her eyebrows. "Hello?"

The girl laughed. "I'm Koizumi. Koizumi Luna. You don't remember me, right?"

Mikan cautiously shook her head, wary of the stranger. "I'm sorry. I was hit by a car and now I have amnesia."

Luna frowned. "Aw, poor thing. I heard about that. Are you okay now?"

Mikan chuckled. "Yeah I guess I'm all right now." She smiled. "Listen, nice to meet you and all, it really is, but my boyfriend is waiting for me and –"

"You mean Natsume-kun?" Luna interrupted.

Mikan widened her eyes. "You know him?" she gasped. It took all her might not to smack herself as soon as she said it. Of course she knew Natsume. Who didn't?

"Of course I know him, silly. He sent me a text a couple of minutes ago and told me to tell you to meet him somewhere else. I'm his friend, by the way." She smiled.

Mikan's face brightened. "Oh, I've never met any of Natsume's friends except Ruka-kun!"

"Well," Luna smiled. "Taa-daa," she laughed. "We've met before, but you just don't remember. But c'mon, I'll lead you to where Natsume-kun is. He's probably bored from waiting by now. You know how he is," she winked.

Mikan smiled and nodded. Luna linked their arms together and walked towards their destination. She was one of Natsume's friends, right? She should be trustworthy. Why would Natsume befriend her if she wasn't? Mikan nodded. She was safe.

Mikan was too occupied to wonder why Natsume didn't text her himself. Suspicion was written all over Luna's face, but Mikan didn't know any better.

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_Until next chapter._


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